Celebrating Priesthood – Father Patrick Peyton CSC

One of the priests whose life has inspired me from a young age is Fr Patrick Peyton CSC (1909-1992). He came from the parish of Attymass in my home diocese of Achonry in County Mayo, Ireland. My grandmother’s family also lived there so they knew him and his family well. He was always spoken of with great affection and respect for his many qualities but especially his gentleness and kindness.

Fr Peyton was born into a large and deeply Catholic farming family. The praying of the family rosary was a daily feature of their lives. He wanted to become a priest from his early teens and thought about entering Maynooth seminary to train for his diocese but his family could not afford the costs. It was a difficult time economically so, like many other Irish people, he emigrated to America to find work. Sadly, he was never again to see either of his parents alive. But he was to remember always the last words he heard his mother say: “promise to be faithful to Our Lady. Be faithful”.

Once he arrived, Patrick took many odd jobs including coal mining and working as a janitor. While working as the sexton in the local cathedral thoughts of a vocation to the priesthood came back to him. Determined to follow the call, and since he needed more education, he went back to school. After a time the call to be a missionary priest led him to enter the Congregation of the Holy Cross at Notre Dame, Indiana in 1932.

However during his time in training he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis. Death was feared. However Patrick prayed his rosary intensely and left everything in the hands of the Blessed Virgin, to be used as she saw fit for the glory of God. Eventually his prayers were answered miraculously when the doctors found that the patches on his lungs had just disappeared. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1941. He wondered how he could pay back the debt he owed to the Lord, His Mother and his family. After much prayer he saw the answer – the family rosary crusade. He coined the phrases “the family that prays together stays together” and “a world at prayer is a world at peace”. He began with a radio programme on Mother’s Day 1945 and was so popular that he soon had both a radio and television show in which many famous personalities appeared to promote the rosary and family prayer. Prominent among them were Grace Kelly, James Cagney, and Bing Crosby. He soon earned the title ‘the rosary priest’ and through his famous rosary rallies held all over the world, preached to millions the importance of prayer, faith and the love of Jesus. Through it all he remained as gentle and humble as ever.

Fr Peyton died peacefully in 1992 holding his rosary. His cause for canonisation is before the Vatican. Fr Peyton is for me a wonderful example of deep faith in God and a humble trust in the love of Mary and her intercession before her Son which he experienced so powerfully in his life. He was a man deeply in love with Christ and constantly faithful to his life as a priest and to preaching the love and mercy of God. Through his life the Lord touched the hearts of millions with faith, hope and love. It reminds us all how much the Lord can do through us if we just have the faith to trust in Him.